A couple from Pawnee Rock welcomed in 2017 with the birth of their first child on Jan. 3 at the Hays Medical Center. The child was the first baby to be born in the new year at HaysMed.
Zoe Faith Umble was born at 8:29 a.m. on her scheduled due date and was a healthy 8-pounds, 10-ounces to Paul and Colleen Umble. She is the granddaughter of Janet Dunavan, Leavenworth and Will and Pam Umble of Myerstown, Pa.
“We were very excited, nervous and surprised she was born on the actual due date,” Colleen said.
The Umbles wanted to be surprised about the sex of their child. Colleen said she and her husband were both surprised it was a daughter — they thought for sure it was going to be a boy.
“We had a name picked out for both, but were still surprised when it was a girl,” Colleen said.
Colleen mentions that her and her husband really appreciated the wonderful care that they received at HaysMed from the doctors, nurses, and staff.
PLAINVILLE– The magnet for Rooks County Health Center’s new MRI & Nuclear Medicine suite arrived on-site Wednesday, January 4. The 4 1/2 ton magnet, known in the industry as the OR200, is the core of the Toshiba built Vantage Titan Magnetic Resonance Imaging unit and it is the only one of its kind in Kansas or Missouri.
Selected for its imaging prowess as well as patient comfort, the Vantage Titan features an extra large bore, making it more comfortable for patients big and tall or patients who are anxious in confined spaces. The new MRI & Nuclear Medicine suite will be also equipped with an overhead video screen so patients can view pictures or slide shows of their own choosing while receiving services. Special noise reduction elements are also planned for the suite to reduce stress and make the experience as comfortable as possible.
Calibration of the various coils in the magnet is expected to take from 4 to 6 weeks. After the calibrations and necessary certifications are completed the unit will be ready to go operational. A grand-opening ceremony is tentatively planned for late-February.
Benefits for patients of RCH’s new MRI & Nuclear Medicine suite include quicker scheduling, lessened stress, the convenience of money and time saved by receiving services close to home.
“When patients benefit, the county benefits by keeping Rooks County dollars in Rooks County. For people from surrounding counties for whom a trip to a large regional center would be even more inconvenient, time consuming and expensive they now have another option, keeping their dollars closer to home as well,” explained RCH CEO, Mike Sinclair.
The opening of the new MRI & Nuclear Medicine suite will conclude one portion of RCH’s recent expansion plans. The next major hospital expansion is expected to include new patient rooms and a Rehabilitation Center for Physical Therapy featuring a zero-entry hydro-therapy pool.
The hospital’s expansion serves to fulfill RCH’s mission to provide the most advanced health care available to residents of Rooks County and beyond.
A week before the NFL’s Super Bowl, on Jan. 29, the 20th annual Soup ‘r Bowl will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Unrein Building at the Ellis County Fairgrounds to benefit the Humane Society of the High Plains.
Admission is $6 in advance, and tickets can be bought at the Hays Veterinary Hospital, 1016 E. Eighth; Fur is Flying, 2204 Vine; Back to Nature, 2707 Vine; and the Humane Society of the High Plains, 2050 E. Old U.S. Highway 40.
Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $7.
All proceeds will go directly to benefit medical treatment, such as spays, neuters and and to accommodate more the animals at the shelter.
Tasty soups and desserts are on the menu, according to Debbie Webber, president of the Humane Society board. Webber recommended showing up early as they tend to run out of soup.
Webber said there are currently 13 soup chefs stirring up different kinds of soups for attendees to try.
Everybody who comes will be given a kit that consists of a small cup, large cup, spoon, napkin and voting credentials. The small cups will be used for tasting the different types of soup and the large cup is for the guest’s favorite.
The prized Golden Ladle will be awarded to the the crowd favorite soup of the afternoon once the votes have all be counted. The winner will have bragging rights for the next year, Webber said.
Baked goods, including various different kinds of desserts, will available for purchase alongside the soup, courtesy of Weber.
The 2017 edition of the Wild West Festival will lead up to the annual Fourth of July celebration in Hays.
The Wild West Festival committee has posted the main acts for this year’s events.
June 29’s show will feature Runaway June and Chris Janson. On June 30, Mark Chesnutt will take the stage. On July 1 Resurrection, A Journey Tribute, will be the main act.
For more information, check out the Wild West Fest website or click the performers’ official websites below.
The summer science camps started by David Levering three years ago have been a success, with more students each summer. Many of those students seek financial aid.
Levering, education director at Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History, wants to avoid prospective students not receiving financial aid to lack of funds, so he is reaching out for donors through a crowdfund page. He started the page Dec. 26, 2016, and contributions will be accepted for another six weeks. Levering hopes to raise $26,000 — $13,000 for financial aid scholarships and $13,000 for equipment needs.
“I need to increase the amount of aid available to give away, otherwise there’s going to be a lot more disappointed students out there,” Levering said. “We’ve had increased requests for financial aid every year.”
Levering raised money through a crowdfund page when he first started the summer camps, which will be in their fourth year in 2017. He raised funds for basic equipment, and many of the contributors from that crowdfund campaign have become regular camp benefactors.
“As the camps program gets bigger, we need to increase the amount of funds,” Levering said. “Most of these funds have come from repeat donors. I’m trying to increase the number of return donors as well as a single big boost this year.”
The equipment upgrades have a purpose, too. Levering wants to teach the students how to use the equipment. The video and photos shot in the field will then be free to educators as classroom activities.
“My hope is to use the video and photos from the field programs to create classroom lessons that teachers can download from the museum’s website for free,” Levering said.
Two high-ranking administrators have submitted their resignations at Fort Hays State University.
According to a Friday campus update by Interim President Andy Tompkins, Dr. Graham Glynn, the university provost, and Dr. Joy Hatch, vice president for technology, each submitted their resignations.
Glynn’s resignation will be effective at the end of the fiscal year.
“We thank him for his service and look forward to working with him during the remainder of his time with us,” Tompkins wrote. “We will plan to begin a search for his replacement to coincide with the Regents’ search for a new president.”
Glynn was named provost by then-President Mirta M. Martin in February 2015.
Dr. Joy Hatch
Tompkins said Hatch will assist his office with special projects as the university searches for a new director of information technology.
Hatch joined FHSU as the newly created position of vice president for technology in January 2015.
The university’s IT staff will now report to Mike Barnett, vice president for administration and finance. Barnett recently served as acting president of the university after Martin’s November resignation.
Check Hays Post for more as details become available.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Tammy Peterman, executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at The University of Kansas Hospital, is part of the 2016 class of American Academy of Nursing Fellows. She is one of approximately 2,400 nurses in the Academy out of nearly 4 million nurses nationwide to receive this honor, and the only nurse from Kansas honored in this year’s class.
The American Academy of Nursing Fellow serves the public and the nursing profession by creating and executing knowledge-driving and policy related initiatives in order to advance and improve America’s healthcare system. To be inducted as a fellow, a nurse must be recognized by her peers as having had significant influence on the profession of nursing; one must also be a recognized contributor and innovator in healthcare policy, practice or research, and must have shared that innovation in order to impact the practice of health care delivery.
“The honor is so well deserved,” said Bob Page, president and chief executive officer of The University of Kansas Hospital. “You would be hard pressed to find a nursing leader as talented and as accomplished. She has transformed nursing and transformed our entire organization.”
Tammy Peterman, MS, RN, FAAN, has been with the hospital since her graduation from the University of Kansas School of Nursing and has moved through the ranks, having started as a staff nurse. Peterman was named chief nursing officer in 2001; in addition, she accepted executive vice president and chief operating officer responsibilities in May 2007.
Peterman holds a master’s degree in nursing, as well as a certification in advanced nursing administration.
She is a native of Stockton and was named the 2006 Distinguished Nursing Alumna by the Kansas University Nurses Alumni Association. Peterman has served in various nursing organizations.
As Chief Nursing Officer, Peterman helped establish a patient-centered culture within the Department of Nursing, as evidenced by the highest patient satisfaction scores in the history of the hospital.
Under her leadership, The University of Kansas Hospital has become one of only 3.7 percent of hospitals to earn prestigious Magnet designation three consecutive times. Magnet designation means a hospital outperforms others and is statistically proven to have higher quality care, better patient outcomes and higher nurse retention. Magnet-designated organizations involve nursing in decision-making at every level, and have robust systems that promote advancing nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
“Everyone would want a Tammy Peterman on their team,” added Page. “Everyone would want someone as humble and competent. When she comes up with an idea, you listen because you know she is focused on what is best for the patient.”
Leaders at the hospital paid homage to Peterman, including Page, Barbara MacArthur, vice president of cardiac services and herself an academy fellow, and Chris Ruder, RN, vice president of patient care services and assistant chief nursing officer.
HAYS, Kan. – Jill Faxon scored 13 of her team-high 17 points in the first half, Kacey Kennett added 14 points, both hit three 3-pointers to lead the Fort Hays State women to a 69-59 win over Central Missouri Thursday at Gross Coliseum.
After missing their first seven shots to open the game, the Tigers (12-2, 3-2 MIAA) went on a 21-4 run to build a 12-point second quarter lead. They closed the half on a 15-4 run to go up 17 and led by as many as 22 late in the third before the Jennies (10-2, 3-1 MIAA) closed the gap to five with under four minutes to play.
The Tigers responded with a 10-2 run which included six points without any time off the clock after two technical fouls on UCM coach Dave Slifer.
Tony Hobson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Tigers went 3-for-15 from the floor in the fourth quarter and finished at 35.5-percent for the game but hit 10-of-27 from beyond the arc. The Jennies went 8-for-12 in the final frame to finish 31.1-percent but were held to their lowest point total of the season.
A departing Wisconsin resident motions a hug to family members before boarding.
By OLIVIA SCHMIDT Hays Post
Wednesday morning marked the first sendoff of the highly anticipated return of the early morning flight to Denver from Hays Regional Airport.
The Fill the Plane celebration took place at the airport at 6 a.m. The event was organized by Hays High School DECA students, who have put on several other Fly Hays events. Seniors Griffin Lowry and Daniel Lopez worked on the event as part of their DECA creative marketing project for Hays Regional Airport.
Griffin Mowry, HHS DECA, discusses his creative marketing project for Hays Regional Airport.
“The project is basically assessing a problem within our community and trying to figure out marketing strategies to help solve that. The problem with the Hays airport is not enough people are using it to fly, and we’re going to figure out what we need to do to help solve that,” Lowry said.
“We worked with Gail Kuehl, who’s been very on top of the project and trying to get a survey out to see what people need,” Lopez said. “People have been saying they want an earlier flight.”
Attendees enjoyed complimentary coffee, orange juice and breakfast courtesy of McDonald’s, as well as the opportunity to enter a raffle to win two free vouchers for round-trip tickets to Denver. The tickets were awarded to Calder Craig.
Daniel Lopez, HHS DECA, is amused he got out of bed so early to make the event.
The high school students were among the first to arrive to set up the breakfast buffet.
“I got a call from Griffin this morning at 5 o’clock and I was like, ugh,” Lopez grimaced.
Several local businesses purchased tickets for employees in support of the reinstated 6:50 a.m. flight. These businesses included Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, city of Hays, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hays Med, Enersys, Eagle Communications, SkyWest, Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development, Walmart, McDonald’s and Golden Belt Bank.
Attendees included city officials, Ellis county commissioners and Fort Hays State University officials.
Henry Schwaller, Hays city commissioner, encourages the public to take advantage of early morning flights to Denver.
City Commissioner Henry Schwaller boarded the flight after thanking all the elected officials and community members for attending the celebration. Schwaller reinforced the importance of the community’s usage of the flight.
“We want to get over 10,000 boardings and, the last two months, we’ve had over 900 boardings each month,” he said.
He was joined by chamber Executive Director Tammy Wellbrock who echoed the importance of flying for the economy of Hays.
“We are so excited in the community of Hays to have a service like SkyWest United that is flying between Hays and Denver round-trip throughout the day, and they brought back our morning flight. That is because of all of you,” she said.
The audience followed with an enthusiastic applause.
SkyWest plane is deiced in single-digit temperatures this morning before takeoff.
The flight departed at approximately 7:10 a.m. about 20 minutes later than scheduled due to procedural deicing. The temperature in Hays at 7 a.m. was in the single digits.
A highly visible Hays property that has been labeled by officials as a eyesore is coming down this week.
Demolition of the Ambassador Inn, formerly a Ramada property, began last week with interior work, with heavy machinery beginning to bring the structure down this week.
The hotel, which was once a leisure hotspot in its glory days as a Holiday Inn Holidome, has fallen into disrepair in recent years, with numerous code violations recorded.
With the hotel facility gone, the property is expected to be more marketable.
“There’s definitely some interest,” said Aaron White, executive director of the Ellis County Coalition on Economic Development. “Two out-of-town parties — developers from the Kansas City area — and a couple of locals.”
The property is roughly 5 acres, White said, and is in a highly trafficked area.
“It’s a good location, on Vine Street, close to the interstate,” White said. “It’s a pretty good redevelopment spot.”
The developers who have shown interest have discussed the possibility of a general commercial project that would include retail and restaurants. The possibility of a new hotel on the property also exists.
The property, owned by Joshua Joseph, has been through several owners through the years. Joseph owns several hotels in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, under a long list of LLCs, generally similar in structure to the Hays Ambassador Inn — many former Holiday Inn or Ramada convention centers with reviewers at many of the locations finding the hotels to be in disrepair.
City of Hays officials have publicly commented on the poor condition of the facility, going so far as to request bids for redevelopment of the property several years ago.
The University of Kansas Hospital and Hays Medical Center (HaysMed) have finalized their partnership agreement, which took effect Jan. 1.
Leaders of the two hospitals say they share a long-term vision to enhance and extend comprehensive, high-quality, cost-efficient healthcare in a not-for-profit setting to transform healthcare delivery throughout Kansas.
John Jeter, MD, who continues as CEO of HaysMed, said the final negotiations went smoothly.
“When both parties share the same patient care philosophy and vision, final agreements flow naturally. Our staff is excited now that the partnership agreement is complete and we can begin realizing our goals for this partnership,” Jeter said.
The basic elements of the partnership remain unchanged from the letter of intent:
• Staff will continue to be employed by their current organizations.
• The HaysMed Board of Directors will remain in place.
• A new Operations Council, made up of leaders from both organizations, has been formed and is tasked with directing the HaysMed partnership.
The University of Kansas Hospital sees excitement and pent up energy from both staffs, eager to begin working together.
“We have spent months preparing to begin this partnership. Now the hospitals can truly work as one to improve the health of Kansans,” said Bob Page, president and chief executive officer of The University of Kansas Hospital.
A number of branding and signage examples will be unveiled in the next few weeks.
